Western appeasement of Serbia’s Kremlin-aligned autocracy undermines Balkan stability, emboldens aggression, and betrays democratic values. The time for complacency and complicity is over.

2024-Sep -14

In a troubling and deeply disconcerting pattern, Western powers continue to fumble their approach to the Balkans, effectively enabling a Kremlin proxy right in the heart of Europe. Despite Serbia’s overt alignment with Russian interests and a government steeped in autocratic practices reminiscent of the Milosevic era, the European Union and the United States persist in their appeasement strategies. This has not only emboldened Serbia under President Aleksandar Vucic but also posed a significant threat to the fragile peace and security of the Balkans. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the international response—or lack thereof—to the Banjska attacks, where the failure of Western governments to publish their investigative reports stands as a glaring indictment of their complicity.

The Banjska attacks, which left a Kosovar police officer dead and sparked a renewed wave of tensions, were not merely an isolated incident but a calculated act of aggression aimed at destabilising Kosovo. Yet, nearly one year later (Sept 24), the Western powers have failed to release their investigative findings on the matter. This silence speaks volumes about the priorities and allegiances of the EU and the U.S. Rather than holding Serbia accountable for its role in supporting criminal and paramilitary activities in northern Kosovo, these reports have been shelved, effectively burying the evidence of Belgrade’s complicity.

Why this reticence? It seems Western diplomats are more concerned with preserving their misguided strategy of engaging Serbia as a regional partner than confronting the uncomfortable truth: that Serbia, under Vucic, is not a stabilising force but a destabilising one. The reluctance to release these reports serves only to protect Serbia from scrutiny, shielding Vucic and his allies from the consequences of their actions. This approach undermines the very principles of transparency and accountability that the EU and U.S. claim to champion.

The failure to publish the Banjska reports is not an isolated lapse but part of a broader, deeply flawed strategy that has defined Western engagement with Serbia. Over the past decade, the EU and U.S. have pumped billions into Serbia through financial aid and development funds, ostensibly to foster democratic reforms and regional stability. Yet, this influx of funds has done little to curb Serbia’s autocratic drift or its alignment with Moscow. Instead, it has served to embolden Vucic, who has expertly played both sides — courting Western investments while deepening ties with the Kremlin.

Serbia’s military purchases from Russia and its refusal to impose sanctions on Moscow, even in the wake of the war in Ukraine, are clear indicators of where Vucic’s loyalties lie. This so-called “military neutrality” is nothing more than a façade, masking a robust partnership with the Kremlin that extends to joint military exercises, intelligence sharing, and a mutual interest in destabilising the Balkans to suit their strategic ambitions. Yet, despite these overt signals, Western diplomats continue to extend the hand of friendship to Vucic, mistakenly viewing him as a necessary interlocutor in the region’s stability.

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